iPhone & iPad Apps

I personally use an iPad & iPhone for my apps, but I’m sure these apply to many other smartphone users as well!

I’ve been an avid Apple fan since I got my first Macbook in 2007 so needless to say, I’ve tried a fair share of apps throughout the years. Even though I originally didn’t think I’d ever get one, I eventually gave in and bought an iPad for school use. If you can afford spending the money, I recommend getting an iPad for educational purposes. It is way more compact than a laptop, I can type or write my notes on it, store textbooks on it, buy apps related to subjects I’m studying, etc. For me, it’s well worth the money.

Anyways, I intend to list some of my favorite education, medical, and productivity apps in this section. I’ll include both iPhone and iPad apps and include a short review about each. Hopefully this will give others a resource for a) obtaining beneficial apps and b) to avoid wasting money on apps that aren’t worth the expense. Feel free to make suggestions of your own as well!

In alphabetical order…

Figure 1

A social network for sharing healthcare related images. An excellent resource for be able to see the signs of various medical complications. Definitely check it out!

Instant ECG

There are loads of EKG (ECG) applications in the iTunes store and unfortunately, some of them are a complete bust in my opinion. Unfortunately, I am one of the people who wasted money trying out several different apps! However, I have found Instant ECG to be a great educational tool for those interested in understanding EKGs. Of all the EKG applications I tried, this is definitely my favorite. At the time of writing this, it is only available in the iPhone format, although it can still technically be downloaded (poor quality) onto the iPad as well.

Mental Case

Although it’s a little pricey, I absolutely love this app. In my opinion, this is the best flashcard app you can get. Some of its features include the ability to sync between your devices, a 3D note browser, sharing with others, library customization, scheduling study times with reminders, notes with text, audio, photo, or video and more. If you don’t want to make your own flashcards, you can even search for flashcard sets to download that were created by others. Basically, if you ever use flashcards to study, you should get this app.

Notability

I have tried several note-taking applications and this is definitely my favorite. It has all the features I need to take notes effectively and some I will probably never use, but are nice features nonetheless. Also, it has linked audio recording that records the lecture while you take notes, so when you tap a word you wrote/typed, it’ll play back the audio that was recorded at the time. You can change font color/style, insert pictures/shapes/figures, and export/import files with ease. As for as note taking ability, this app does it all.

Read by OxMD

An excellent app for anyone interested in reading medical journals. You can customize options to include a) favorite journals b) certain specialties c) specific collection and d) specific keywords. You can then save articles into your favorites by custom collection subjects. There are search features, CME tracking and you can link your institutional access to journals as well! Basically, if you read medical journals, get this app!

Wunderlist

First off, my life would be a mess if I didn’t keep an up-to-date to-do list at all times. This app is simple to-do list that is free! I’ve actually tried a couple paid apps that I didn’t even like as much as Wunderlist. Don’t waste your money like me! Wunderlist allows you you to create multiple custom lists to keep things organized, and you can even share lists with other people. Does your task have multiple steps? No problem. The app allows you to add subtasks so you’ll be able to check off each thing as it gets done. It also has due dates, reminders, the ability to repeat tasks, a notes section and the ability to add files. There is also a Pro version, but I haven’t tried it out. All I know is the free version is awesome!